Women in Law Enforcement Symposium discusses women’s opportunities in field

BRISTOL, R.I. (WLNE) — Women leaders in law enforcement spoke with students and colleagues about ways to recruit more women into the male-dominated field Friday.

A symposium was held Friday morning at Roger Williams University to find more ways to get women involved and to retain the women who do join the field.

“It’s really cool to see other women doing things that other people used to say, ‘you can’t do that,'” said Rachel Goodwin, a RWU student.

The Women in Law Enforcement Symposium at Roger Williams University is showing criminal justice stu

dents and future female recruits that women can do it all.

Female law enforcement professionals of all levels spoke Friday with students about the rewards and challenges of being a woman in law enforcement.

“It’s really important not only to bring women into the field, but to retain them, as well,” said Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Sergeant Sheila Paquette.

“There has been a number of studies on the impact females have in this career, in this profession. And the impact in the style and insight that they bring.”

Sergeant Paquette, with the Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Law Enforcement organized this year’s symposium.

Paquette has been with the department for nearly 30 years.

But women remain outnumbered in police departments, locally and nationally.

In Rhode Island, women make up approximately 14-percent of sworn officers and 20-percent of recruits in state and local law enforcement.

And that mirrors the nationwide average.

Women make up nearly 13-percent percent of sworn police officers in the U.S.

That is despite women representing approximately half of the U.S. population.

And that number is even smaller for minority groups.

Black women make up 3-percent of full-time police officers in the U.S.

Recent statistics don’t have recorded numbers on how many Hispanic, Asian-American and Pacific Islander women work in the profession.

Also in attendance at Friday’s symposium was Nantucket Police Chief Jody Kasper and Ohio Division of Natural Resources Chief Kandy Klosterman.

They hold positions in law enforcement only achieved by two to three percent of women in the field.

“I think definitely in such a male-dominated field having a women in law enforcement symposium is pretty empowering to see all these tenured professionals in their career,” said Caroline Roach, an RWU Criminal Justice student.

“As an upcoming student in this career it’s really good to see that.”

Women’s roles in law enforcement evolved gradually.

The first sworn female officers began in the early 20th century.

The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its eventual amendments helped pave the way for more inclusion of women in policing.

Speakers and students at the event said events like these help close the gap, but there’s still more work to be done.